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tv   Second Look  FOX  November 11, 2012 11:00pm-11:30pm PST

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up next on a second look, hurricane sandy ripped through the eastern seaboard but it's not the first time a major storm has torn up new york and new jersey. looking back at the hurricanes that have flooded streets, leveled homes and wiped out landmarks across the northeast. i'm julie haener, the past two weeks have seen some of the
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most severe storm damage ever to hit the eastern seaboard of the united states. hurricane sandy roared north from the caribbean and devastated major portions of new york and new jersey leaving millions without power. but it's not the first time severe weather has ripped across the northeast. in 1821 a hurricane hit new york city and the flooding was so severe that the east and hudson rivers merged. flooding lower manhattan up to canal street. another hurricane wiped away a resort island off the rocaway. dozens of hurricanes and tropical storms have created havoc across new york and new jersey. one of them was in 1992. here is faith banters report. >> reporter: in a city that has seen just about anything, most new yorkers have never seen anything like this. this is fdr drive on new york's east side completely under
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water. rescue workers have to dawn scuba gear to rescue people. walking was just as hazardous with winds gusting up to 70 miles per hour in this torrential rainfall. the fierce storm closed down the staten island ferry, the statute of liberty and the subway system. most commuters trains were stopped in their tracks or delayed stranding hundreds of thousands in the city. even new york's laguardia
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airport sucomb to mother nature's wrath. >> we have a mess. >> reporter: the entire atlantic seaboard got pounded by hurricane like winds of up to 90 and freezing rain. the island town of sea bright had to be evacuated. flooding made homes look likehouse boats. >> it's the worse i've seen in 20 years. thank god we had that sea wall that was built only two years ago. other wise this town would have been washed away. >> many in atlantic city and ocean city may have thought they might be washed away. downed power lines and left casino parking lots looking like lakes. >> never in my life have i seen such devastation, my reaction is there's no way to fight with mother nature. >> reporter: the storm hit new england just as hard. severe weather caused major airports in boston and
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connecticut to experience long delays. some airlines even cancelled flights. schools shut down, the coast guard warned boaters to stay in port. one fishing vessel sank its crew had to be rescued. >> farther inland the snow meat commuting miserable to impossible in many areas. residents will be digging out for days to come. so far this storm has been responsible for five deaths and residents in the east are bracing for more. the official start of winter is still 10 days away. >> in 1960 the northeast saw one of its worse storm ever, hurricane donna. donna held the record for sustained winds above 115-miles- an-hour for nine days. hurricane donna killed at least
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364 people and caused what would be in today's numbers $368 million. newsreels chronicled the destruction. >> reporter: hurricane donna splashes up from the caribbean. already the killer of 125 persons. roars north up florida's gulf coast from fort myers to st. petersburg. off the west donna swirling through the central portion of the state. in its wake the hurricane leaves at least 10 dead in florida. and the worse property damage of any storm ever to hit florida. with storm signals up along the
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entire seaboard, donna battles the carolinas and rips into the jersey shore with winds topping 85 miles per hour. ten foot storm surge destroys sea walks. donna keeps heading toward catastrophic accounts. the killer storm reaches new york. staten island bares the front. isolateing the island for hours it's a bad day for boat men and householders. the city proper is paralyzed by torrential rain and gail forced winds. mayor breaks in the city's service strands hundreds and most of the mayor arterial highways off limit. the direct portion of the storm
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is felt in the south shore. damage is extensive in all the shoreline and still donna rages on. climbing into new england with unabated force. recalling the hurricane of 1938 and it's tragic thoughts. elemental fury scurries the seaboard. >> still to come on a second look, the 1938 hurricane that leveled parts of new york and new jersey. and a bit later a veteran's day visit to the troops getting ready for the first gulf war.
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>> in the aftermath of hurricane sandy we're taking a second look tonight after devastating storms that have hit the north eastern united states. because of its dense population and aging infrastructure in some places it's an area
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vulnerable to severe damage. as authorities prepared last year for hurricane irene, one geologist pointed out where the hurricane hit 20 years ago. >> this is where the hurricane broke through and made shenekok bay part of the ocean. >> reporter: in 1938 a hurricane that was predicted to hit miami instead veered north and sped toward the jersey shore. predicted it would soon lose strength. the storm was gathering speed. winds increased at 200 miles per hour. and as darkness fell on long island the storm surge hit like a wall of water more than 20 feet high. the federal government produced this documentary at the time showing much of the damage of that 1938 hurricane. >> september 21st in mid- afternoon this tropical terrace
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struck, swept into highly developed new england. struck with winds routing 100, 150, almost 200 miles per hour. tidal waves 30 to 50 feet tall. ridges were destroyed almost instantly. men risked almost certain death trying to swim to their isolated homes and the coast guard restrained them when it could. flicking new york city, the storms hit the coast. under mined roads that derailed trains, some passengers died. the quiet dignity of houses were reduced to broken lumber in one brief hour, part of the
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engine's beauty that was new england's was swept away forever. the full extent of the disaster was unknown for days. americans waited for bulletins. how to get necessary food and storm supplies became a major question. but local relief agencies went into work at once. neighbor hurried to assist neighbor. all available both were drafted into service. family after family was rescued when rising waters threatened their brief security. due to their tradition, the coast guard met the emergency with swift action. coast guard boats brought survivors to safety.
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workers from near by wpa from ccc camps erupted sandbag barriers to halt the rising waters. at the work of thousands began, soldiers from army posthelped in maintaining order. part of the army worked feverishly. one man was found alive under 8 feet of wreckage five hours after the storm had passed. wpa administrator harry hopkins flew from california to providence. the only devastation in the stricken area. he made a quick tour of the ravaged area to plan with new england leaders the task of cleaning up as well as the six month job of rebuilding public facilities. administrator hopkins met with the torn state pledging the help of the government. women workers along with the
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red cross provided comfort for refugees. at an infirmary they cared for families left homeless for the storm and provided nourishing meals for children who's homes had not yet been made habitable. sewing rooms like this one prepared warm dry clothes for all the needy. every emergency unit local and federal sprung into action to deliver food to the hungry. in many towns like this one in rhode island tons of mud and sand washed over the main highways. all of this had to be cleared away. public facilities which must be restored for a resumption of normal living by all our people. a call for manpower. when we come back on a
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second look. glimpses of the atlantic city boardwalk 100 years ago and how the city fared after a casino moved ashore. remembering our service members on veteran's day.
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if you watch the hbo series boardwalk empire you get a look at what new jersey looked like a century ago. it was one of the places the westerners traveled to get away from the bolstering heat. by the late 1980s things had changed. casinos lined the seashore with an aura of wealth and luxury. not far away a neighborhood was crumbling into decay. bob mackenzie traveled to at --
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atlantic city, here's his report. & %f0 >> reporter: if a propagadist wanted to point out the horrors of capitalism, he might point to atlantic city. a degenerating city full of abandoned buildings, wind blown debris, poverty, crime, drugs and deteriorating services. once a bustling resort town, atlantic city had hit the skids
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by the 1960s. the customers long departed. then 12 years ago new jersey opened the door to casino gambling. real estate companies began a frenzy of buying. those who last sold the building are probably smiling. those who last bought them are still waiting for the boom that has never arrived. the tourists came all right, 25 million of them last year but they find everything they want on the beach and the boardwalk and in their hotels. the few who venture out into the city find a sad array of homes. >> the problem here in this town is the people who are delegated to florida do not
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listen to our residents. they're in their offices all day. that's what time it is. >> let me ask you this, what do you think is going right in this country and what do you think is going wrong? >> wrong things are people are not thinking about people anymore. from old school, like when you were coming up like when i was coming up, you could leave your doors open and everybody would help each other neighborly. now it's not like that. everybody now is for themselves. you have to take and give a little bit of yourself. if you don't give any of yourself and don't care, that's it. >> reporter: while the city's population dwindles some residents dig in believing that things must turn around. robert holmes lives in the only unit in this unit building that hasn't been abandoned. >> is there a part of the system you think need to be changed, robert. >> i think workers.
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>> changed in which way? >> why should these young kid have babies to the babies to their babies. and i can see they cannot get a good job. i see the babies having babies. >> reporter: for some randall carson said his mom taught him the self-discipline that earned him a diploma. >> you people have to come out here and get it. we're not going to come knock on your door, here's a job for you, here's a job for you. get off your lady butts and come look for a job. >> there's an election coming up. do you have any thought into it? >> no, but i will in time. >> who are you liking right now? >> i wish reagan could run
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again. >> mark we're going to have some buttons today. >> reporter: he's voting for bush. >> i'm doing pretty good. i have a family of four. myself my wife and my two kids, two girls and we're making it. in fact, we're making it rather well. >> how do you feel about the country in general? are you upbeat about it. positive about it. >> definitely, i wave an american flag every chance i get. >> reporter: atlantic city is not like any place else. and yet it's a very american place. the kind of place where people still believe that a problem is just something to be solved. if we could only get the right people in city hall or state building or the white house that we could still turn all our lemons into lemonade. when we come back on a second look, before everyone had the internet and cell phones the lonely vigil for america's troops half a world
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away. facing a war in the persian gulf. fancy wireless receivers. blah blah blah. if i had a sleepover, i couldn't just move the tv into the playroom. no. we had to watch movies in the den because that's where the tv outlet was. and if dad was snoring on the couch, we muscled through it. is she for real? your generation has it made. [ male announcer ] the wireless receiver only from at&t u-verse. get a free wireless receiver with a qualifying u-verse plan. rethink possible.
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today is veteran's day here in the unite. 23 years ago, ktvu visited with american service members in the persian gulf as they prepared for war with iraq. in the days before widespread internet, people were eager for news in home. >> reporter: on the persian gulf sit american warships and on warships is the mercy. its 900 crew members thinking about their mission here at home, perhaps about home. perhaps about when they will get to go home. when the helicopter launched out, people came out to look.
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as we wandered one of decks a week old newspaper was devoured by hungry checks. there's nothing to be had out here. this is what became of a package of christmas letters that a class of san francisco first greaters were sent with us. what's the score? >> we have a 24. >> 34, huh. on land, soldiers while away their days by playing cards or writing letters home. i love you mom. a sony walkman is a cherished possession here the music can
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take you away from this harsh a place where americans are wanted for their might and ridiculed for their morals. where a servicewoman can't walk down the street alone. >> you go downtown you have to be completely covered. if you can't look at -- you can't read in public, you can't smoke in public. if you do, you can't sit in restaurants you have to sit outside. they have a separate whip doe for you to go to if you order something. >> does that fit you too well? >> no, not at all. i'm used to the space, supreme. >> freedom from this barren and unfriendly landscape and freedom to be with their loved ones for christmas. that's what they wantly want. sergeant russ lewis dreams of being in his big easy chair in
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front of the tv opening presents with his wife and son. he'll be moving the mail instead. lieutenant harris will be home for the holidays next week. carmen laver wants to be back home with her family. they are all here half a world away because their country called and they came. >> it's hard, how does any woman in the 80s. i signed the dolted line just like everybody else. you know. how can i tell a condition.
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hundreds of bay area children remembered the time when their mom and dad weren't hope. that's it for this week's second look. i'm julie haener, thank you for watching. ñ

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